Wittenoom Iron Formation

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Wittenoom Iron Formation

Photograph by Society for Sedimentary Geology

A small section of the Wittenoom Iron Formation in Western Australia highlights how sedimentary rocks are laid down in layers. The sediments in this photo curve near the ends of chert pods. Chert—a silica-based rock—occurs in limestone. Paleontologists know chert as a good place to look for fossils.